When the early WWE Women's division is mentioned, most think of the early 1990s when Alundra Blayze tried to make it work. But the 1980s was a surprisingly good time for women's wrestlers, even if they weren't given as much attention as their male counterparts. A key issue was one that came up several times over the years, women were not given enough time to shine in the ring and sometimes emphasized looks over talent.
Yet, for a brief period, the women of WWE had some spectacular talent, enough to merit their own match at the first Survivor Series card. There was not only a singles title but a tag team championship as well. While 1990 saw the entire division phased out for a time, these ten women blazed a trail that others would follow to make an impact on WWE that would carry to future generations of ladies in the company.
10 Desiree Petersen
While not trained by Stu Hart, Desiree Petersen impressed him enough to be sent to the Fabulous Moolah for training. Petersen was good, often showcased in singles and tag team bouts and winning fans over.
She took over from an injured Princess Victoria as one-half of the Women's tag team champions with Velvet McIntyre while also having a feud with Judy Martin that involved her being interviewed by Vince McMahon on Tuesday Night Titans. While a bit forgotten today, Petersen was a standout for the early Women's division.
9 Princess Victoria
Notable for her classic Native-American garb, Princess Victoria was also a skilled worker, trained by Sandy Barr and feuded with Velvet McIntyre before forming a tag team.
They were the inaugural Women's tag team champions and Victoria also challenged the Fabulous Moolah for the Women's title a few times. Sadly, a nasty neck injury in 1984 cut her career short just as it was taking off. Yet, for her brief career, Victoria did have a royal time as one of the most popular women in WWE.
8 Judy Martin
A veteran worker, Judy Martin had already been wrestling for WWE in the early 1980s, often challenging for the Women's title. Her biggest fame came teaming with Leilani Kai as a rough pair who won the Women's tag team titles.
They were later repacked into the Glamour Girls, a pair of glitzy platinum blonde workers who held the titles twice with feuds with the Jumping Bomb Angels and others. They still held the belts when the division was phased out in 1990, Martin working for the AWA but WWE her biggest fame.
7 Velvet McIntyre
Famous for wrestling barefoot, Velvet McIntyre had a pretty good career in WWE. She and Princess Victoria held the Women's tag titles when WWE broke away from the NWA in 1983, with McIntyre later paired with Desiree Petersen.
She challenged the Fabulous Moolah at WrestleMania 2 and later defeated her for the Women's title, although the reign only lasted a week. While she often came up short challenging for the Women's title later, McIntyre's fun style helped her stand out and the barefoot wrestling alone was notable at the time.
6 The Jumping Bomb Angels
At a time when Japanese wrestlers were still trying to break out in the United States, the Jumping Bomb Angels were a marvel. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki were marvelous as these women pulled off sensational high-flying moves and great double-teaming.
They won the Women's tag team titles at the first-ever Royal Rumble show and held them for six months. They popularized a style emulated by others over the years and are still regarded as one of the best women's tandems to ever step into a wrestling ring.
5 Leilani Kai
A protégée of the Fabulous Moolah, Leilani Kai took off in the mid-1980s of WWE. After Moolah lost the Women's title to Wendi Richter, Kai beat Richter for the belt. She lost it back at the inaugural WrestleMania while challenging later.
Kai and Judy Martin then formed the Glamour Girls, a top tag team that reigned as Women's tag team champions with some good matches. They were the last champions before that division was phased out as Kai was a good hand as a dependable heel.
4 Sherri Martel
Most WWE fans will know Sherri Martel by her time with Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase and Shawn Michaels. But Martel was a very gifted wrestler who'd already had success in the AWA. In 1987, she defeated the Fabulous Moolah for the Women's title and reigned for a year with it.
That included captaining her own team at the inaugural Survivor Series. Her later fame as a manager overshadowed what a terrific wrestler Martel was to elevate the division in a rough time.
3 Wendi Richter
For a brief moment in time, it looked like Wendi Richter was going to be as big as Hulk Hogan. When the "Rock n Wrestling Connection" took off, Richter was a major star, and allied with Cyndi Lauper, managed to end the Fabulous Moolah's reign as Women's champion. She lost it to Leilani Kai but regained it at the first WrestleMania.
However, Richter had a major falling out with Vince McMahon over pay and so, she was screwed out of the title by a masked Fabulous Moolah. While they've mended fences since, it's sad that such a key figure in women's wrestling got treated so badly by the company.
2 The Fabulous Moolah
While her reputation has since become tainted, it cannot be denied how vital the Fabulous Moolah's input to the early WWE women's division was. Reigning for over two decades as champion, Moolah's power made the title meaningful and she faced scores of challengers.
Her losing the belt was a huge deal and pushed her back to the forefront. She was then part of the original "Screwjob" on Richter to regain the title. She even got a role on the famous Hulk Hogan Saturday morning cartoon show as, putting aside her rougher ways, Moolah was the original star of this division.
1 Rockin Robin
The final champion of the original Women's title, Rockin Robin was a very talented worker with a good flair to herself. She defeated Sherri Martel for the belt in October 1988 and was the last champion when it was deactivated in 1990. Robin was a prime worker and just lacked the proper challengers to make her reign better, yet was popular for the fans.
While she's mostly remembered today as a footnote, Robin did deserve credit for keeping the Women's division going to the 1990s and laid the groundwork for some bigger stuff to come.